


Cas Likes Pop Music

by howdoyouusername



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Inspired by Music, M/M, Song fic, a little bit, i'm sorry i just love these bozos a lot ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-28
Updated: 2014-10-28
Packaged: 2018-02-23 00:52:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2527916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/howdoyouusername/pseuds/howdoyouusername
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas likes pop music.</p><p>That's a problem.</p><p>Really just a dumb little fluff fic that came from listening to too many songs that reminded me of the doofuses in a row.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sam knew it was inevitable. 

Cas was usually good about changing the radio station back to Dean's presets before he got back in the car, and Sam certainly wasn't going to snitch on him, but eventually Dean would find out about Cas's affinity for trashy pop music. It was really only a matter of time.

So no one was surprised when Dean opened the car door, caught one string of expletives from whatever rapper Cas was into at the moment, and shut the door. 

After the music returned to long-dead old white men, he climbed back into the car. His knuckles were white in the steering wheel as he stared ahead and drove home.

Dean and Cas shut themselves in their respective rooms as soon as they got back to the bunker. 

Sam didn't see either of them for the rest of the day.

``````````

Cas was hiding. There really weren't any other words for it. 

His rigid posture looked more like a plank than a person as he sat on the edge of his bed and stared at the wall. 

He had taken down armies with a thought, civilizations with a wave of his hand, but the thought of upsetting Dean Winchester had him trembling in his shoes. A moment later there was a timid knock on his door.

"Come in, Sam." He didn't even turn away from the wall until he heard a chuckle from the doorway.

"Wrong Winchester, sorry. And Sammy goes to bed at like nine." Cas glances over at his clock--it's somehow gotten to be two in the morning. 

"Uh, sorry. About earlier. I just-- it's weird. You being here--" Cas stiffens impossibly more, snapping his head back to the opposite wall. "No! Not weird weird, just-- I'm not used to you being here all the time, you know? I didn't have time to find out more about you when you just popped in whenever."  
Cas could hear him shuffle his feet, still in the doorway. He sighed. 

"I'm glad I do now, though." Dean shuffled forward and placed something on the bed behind Cas. "I thought I'd, um, lend you my tapes so you could see if you like any of my music. You know, so we could compromise on the radio or something. And I'd love to be able to talk music with you, hash out opinions on bands-- but, uh, that's kinda stupid, so if you don't want to I completely understand..." Dean trailed off, audibly shuffling his feet. 

"Thank you, Dean. This is very generous of you." Cas turns his head just in time to see a nervous little smile pull at Dean's lips as he rubs the back of his neck.   
"Oh, it's nothing... 'Night, buddy." 

"Goodnight, Dean."

````````

Dean was in that quiet space between sleep and wakefulness, the kind that's accompanied by soft white light filtering through your blinds and gentle chirping of birds when you don't live one hundred feet under ground. He was trying to decide whether to go back to sleep or get up. While the latter was tempting (they had just bought two pounds of bacon and refreshed their coffee stock yesterday), he was leaning more towards sleep. 

A soft knock, almost too quiet to be heard, sounded across the room. Dean pulled himself to a sitting position.

"Mornin', Cas."

The angel walked in and gave Dean a small nod in lieu of a hello.

"What's up, bud? You okay?" Dean zeroed in on the purple crescents under his friend's eyes, scanned the rest of his face for signs that he was sick. "Did you sleep alright?"

Cas swallowed thickly and shook his head. Dean stood up and walked toward him. Cas backed through the door. "Cas, what's wrong?"

"Can we talk? About... the music you lent me?" Dean nodded and followed him to the next room. It had been a topic for "discussion" when Cas first moved in, newly-human: Sam said to give Cas his own space away from Dean, while Dean argued that Cas might need him. Sam soon figured that nothing he said could change his brother's mind.

"Cas, did you sleep at all last night?" Dean takes in the casette tapes scattered about every available surface, the empty cups strewn about the angel's normally immaculate room. 

"We talked about this. You're human. You need to sleep."

"I know, I just couldn't, I was--" Dean's motherhen instincts kicked in, making him interrupt Castiel.

"If you can't sleep, we need to get you pills, maybe get you to a real doctor, sometimes small stuff like that can mean something's wrong..." Dean trailed off, pushing his bangs up with his hand.

"Nothing's wrong, Dean, I was busy." Cas met his eyes steadily for the first time this morning. "With the music." His eyes widened and scittered away from Dean's. He dug through a pile of tapes, pulled one up and walked to the player he had found in the bottom of the shoebox.

His hands shook so hard it took a few tries to get the cassette in. Dean was becoming more and more worried as he walked over to Cas's unmade bed and sat down. When Cas finally got the tape in and rolling, he turned around and faced Dean. 

"I found a song."

"I figured you might." Dean huffed a laugh.

"I found a song that sums up exactly how I feel at present. I wasn't aware music could connect so well with someone who had never met the songwriter, especially someone like me." 

They held eye contact for a few moments until Cas hit play and looked at his socks. 

The intro to an REO Speedwagon song started up and Dean's eyes locked on the speakers. 

 

I can't fight this feeling any longer

And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow

What started out as friendship, has grown stronger

I only wish I had the strength to let it show

 

Cas lifted his eyes to look at Dean's reaction. Dean's face was a carefully constructed mask: his poker face rivaled Cas's. The panic in his stomach skyrocketed into his throat, nearly choking him. He had expected brushing off, jokes, even anger, but not this. 

 

And even as I wander

I'm keeping you in sight

You're a candle in the window

On a cold, dark winter's night

 

"I-- I figured out that part was a metaphor. For feeling safe in someone's prescence, feeling like you're coming home..." If Dean heard him, he didn't show it. Cas swallowed.

 

It's time to bring this ship into the shore

And throw away the oars, forever

 

"That's, um, that's also a metaphor. For someone being your safe place, like a ship is safe in port compared to raucous seas." Cas muttered, beginning to ressign himself to his fate. 

 

Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore

I've forgotten what I started fighting for

And if I have to crawl upon the floor

Come crushing through your door

Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore

 

My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you

I've been running round in circles in my mind

And it always seems that I'm following you, girl

Cause you take me to the places that alone I'd never find

 

Cas stopped checking Dean's face after every line. Nothing changed. He looked as hollow and unfeeling as Cas had been in his previous angelinc state. This seemed like a cruel bit of irony to Cas, who grimaced as the song ended. 

 

Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore

I've forgotten what I started fighting for

And if I have to crawl upon the floor

Come crashing through your door

Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore.

 

Dean's jaw clenched, the first movement since the song had begun some five minutes ago. After a moment he stood. He walked out.

He didn't look at Cas. 

``````

Sam was beginning to get worried about them. He hadn't seen either of them since the afternoon before. There was no way Cas digging Miley Cyrus could be this big of a fight, was there? 

Whatever was going on, neither one came out of their rooms when he started cooking burgers. The scent normally pulled them to the kitchen like the pied piper's song: Dean to correct his technique and eventually take over kitchen duty himself, Cas to simply enjoy the smell. 

But their doors stayed resolutely shut and locked. 

Sam sighed and set aside a plate of patties for them for when they made up later.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Cas learned to appreciate Dean's music, Dean learned to appreciate his.

Cas lie in his bed, staring at the ceiling now. At least it had a pattern on it; the wall he had stared at before was perfectly blank.

He had laid there all morning, afternoon, and it was stretching into the evening before he heard his door creak open. 

He turned to see Dean walk in, head down, and shuffle toward the bed. Dean, without looking up, pulled his hands from behind his back and presented another casette tape to Cas. Not wanting to upset Dean more, Cas took it gingerly and turned it over.

There on the the other side-- in the middle of the other side-- away from everthing else on the other side, in parenthesis, capital letters, read the following words:

(CAS'S MIX)

Dean shuffled his socked feet again when Cas stood. 

When the tape began, Dean spoke without looking up.

"I'd been kinda working on this in my mind when you were gone so long. I never thought I'd actually give it to you, so I had to make it today. That's what took so long."

 

Highway run

Into the midnight sun

Wheels go round and round

You're on my mind

 

Cas's eyes snapped up to Dean's, but he wouldn't meet them. He just kept his eyes on the still-messy floor of Cas's room.

 

Restless hearts

Sleep alone tonight

Sending all my love

Along the wire

 

Cas's wide eyes got even wider. Was Dean trying to tell Cas he felt the same? Was this song his answer to Cas's? He hoped and even prayed to angels who weren't listening that it was.

 

And lovin' a music man

Ain't always what it's supposed to be

Oh, girl, you stand by me

I'm forever yours

Faithfully

 

Dean finally looked up, his mouth twisted and his lip between his teeth. He lifted his eyebrows in a silent plea. 

Cas nodded.

Dean's face lit up and he released his breath in one big puff before he hesistantly opened his arms. They were soon filled with a ball of bedhead and the smell of a storm brewing.

Once they got their arms around each other, Dean started swaying, cas pulled tight to his chest.

 

Through space and time

Always another show

Wondering where I am

Lost without you

 

Dean chuckled, incredulous. He didn't quite believe he actually was dancing with his angel. He'd dreamed of it of course, when he had been brave enough for even that. But it as a reality was almost too much. 

"Have you ever danced before, Casanova?" The nickname was stupid as hell but it made the angel giggle into his shoulder. He eventually shook his head. "Perfect."

 

Faithfully

I'm still yours

 

I'm forever yours

Ever yours

Faithfully

 

As the song faded out, neither pulled away from each other. The next song started, its upbeat tune making Cas pull back just enough to raise an eyebrow at Dean.

"You, ah, like pop music. So I tried?" Cas leaned back into Dean's chest, content to sway through another song. "Whoa, this ain't a slowdance kinda song! This is where dancing gets really fun, trust me." The look in Cas's eyes said he was doing just that.

 

Clock strikes upon the hour

And the sun begins to fade

Still enough time to figure out

How to chase my blues away

 

Dean began to set Cas up with some simple shag steps. His vagrant life had lead him to South Carolina, where he promptly fell in love with old town Charleston and it's dance scene long ago. 

 

Oh! I wanna dance with somebody

I wanna feel the heat with somebody

Yeah! I wanna dance with somebody  
With somebody who loves me

 

Dean pulled Cas into his chest by his hands before pushing him back out. He released one of Cas's hands to twirl him, making Cas giggle again, wrinkling his nose up and showing off some frankly adorable dimples. 

 

Don't you wanna dance?

Say you wanna dance?

Don't you wanna dance?

 

As the song wandered toward it's end, Dean made use of the time to sling Cas out by one arm then wind him back in to Dean's chest. In the pause between songs, Cas twisted around in Dean's arms to smile at him with a dopey grin Dean could harly recognize at the holy tax accountant. 

The next song spins up with vigor, a reggae feel to it from the beginning.

 

I say hey, I'll be gone today

But I'll be back all around the way

It seems like everywhere I go

The more I see, the less I know

But I know one thing

That I love you

I love you, I love you, I love you

 

Dean pulled Cas around to face him and placed his hands on the angel's hips to set him in motion. Cas quickly picked up on that and Dean helps him figure out what to do with his hands. 

 

Now I'm not a highly metaphysical man

But I know when the stars are aligned you can

Bump into a person in the middle of the road

Look into their eyes and you suddenly know

 

Dean looked up from their feet to grin at Cas. He winked. 

 

It seems like everywhere I go

The more I see, the less I know

But I know one thing

That I love you

I love you, I love you, I love you

I love you, I love you, I love you

I love you, I love you, I love you

I love you, I love you, I love you

```````````

Sam leaned in the doorway at six the next morning; he had woken early for a run. 

He watched his brother and his best friend curled tighter around each other in their sleep. He thought about last night: the Journey, the Whitney, the reggae, the giggling, and the rest of the annoyingly happy pop songs had made him think this is what he'd find. 

He turned away to go on his run, chuckling. 

They had been so wrapped up in each other they hadn't even shut the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I blatantly took a line from Alice's Restaurant Masacree by Arlo Guthrie and I don't even regret it.
> 
> Songs used in this fic:  
> I Can't Fight This Feeling--REO Speedwagon  
> Faithfully--Journey  
> I Wanna Dance With Somebody--Whitney Houston  
> Say Hey--Michael Franti and Spearhead


End file.
